Apparatus for loading containers



Feb. 4, 1964 w. A. KEENE 3,120,249

APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 2, 1959 4Sheets-Sheet 1 FLOATING PALLET -T RAY CONTAINER SLEEVE INVENTOR. W.A.KEENE 1M 1 (fl PL 9f) .4 T TORNEVS Feb. 4, 1964 w. A. KEENE 3,120,249

APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 2, 1959 4Sheets-Sheet'2 CONTAINER CONTAINER SLEEVE INVENTOR. WA. KEENE A Tromwsfs Feb. 4, 1964 w. A. KEENE 3,120,249

APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 2, 1959 4Sheets-Sheet 3 CONTAI SLEE INVENTOR. 4 W.A. KEENE Feb. 4, 1964 w. A.KEENE 3,120,249

' APPARATUS FOR LOADING CONTAINERS Original Filed Oct. 2, 1959 4SheetsSheet 4 INVENTOR W. A. KE ENE 6 Q. i I c 4 L 7 4 ATTORNEYS UnitedStates Patent Ofilice 3,l2@,2dil Patented Feb. 4-, 1954 This inventionrelates to relatively large containers for packing and shippingrelatively large uantities of bulk commodities which are free flowing orhave a tendency to cold flow. In one aspect this invention relates topalletized containers wherein the pallet is an integral part or" thecontainer. in still another aspect of the invention a palletizedcontainer for handling bulk material is provided which is expendable andcan be discarded after use.

This is a division of my copending application Serial No. 843,974, filedOctober 2, 1959, now Patent No. 3,072,314, issued lauuary 8, 1963.

Free-flowing bulk materials or bulk solids which have a tendency forcold flow present serious problems in handling, including shipping andstorage, where contamination of the built materials must be prevented.Manufacturers and users of synthetic rubber are particularly concernedwith the handling or synthetic rubber bales which are subject to coldflow and must be protected from contamination. The present basic packageor unit of synthetic rubber is a rectangular bale weighing from about 75to about 90 pounds, approximately 28 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 6to 7 inches thick. This unit was developed at the time the GPQS(government rubber-styrene, synthetic rubber made in US. Goverrdientplants in 1943 and following years) plants were designed and is nowaccepted as a standard. Shipmerits of natural rubber are now beingreceived in this country in the form of such bales. It has been proposedto use rigid containers for the shipment of a plurality of these balesafter which the container is knocked down and returned to the supplierfor reuse. Reusable containers present the problem of returning tneempty containers from the user to the supplier with the attendanttransportation costs. it has also been proposed to fabricate conta nersfrom materials such as a EnLllllllJiClQlESS of corrugated paperboard sothat the container is expendable and trensp nation costs of returningthe containers are avoided. expendabl containers of the prior art havenot provided adequate protection for the rubber bales and contaminationof the rubber bales has offset the advantage gai ed by usin expendablecontainers. It is essential that the containers used for shipment ofrubber bales be quickly and easily removed by the user of the rub er.

it is an object of this invention to provide a substantially rigid, andat the same time expendable, container for handling bulk material. it isa further object of this invention to provide a container for bulkmaterial which has a pallet as an integral part thereof to support thematerial in the container and to facilitate handling of the container.it is a further objectof this invention to provide a container having afloating pallet tray therein to facilitate filling the container withbulk material. A further object of this invention is the provision of aloading device for lowering the pallet tray in me container as the bull;material is added to the container so that the filling is accomplishedat a substantially constant level. Other and further objects andadvantages will be readily appreciated by one skflled in the art uponstudy of this disclosure, including the detailed description of theinvention and the appended drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partly in section,

2 of a preferred embodiment of the container of this invention;

FlGURE 2 is a detail of the vertical wall of the container sleeve ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 illustrates a modification of the container of this invention;

EEG RE 4 illustrates another modification of the container of thisinvention; and

FlGURE 5 is a view, partl in section, of the device for filling thecontainers of this invention.

In describing the containers and loading equipment of this invention,containers for transportation and storage of rubber bales will beconsidered, although the shape and s ze or" the containers can bealtered to accommodate materials other than rubber bales. The insidedimensions of containers for handlin rubber bales are about 28%; inchesby 42 /2 inches and the height is usually about 66 inches but can varyconsiderably. The pallet base, which is an inte ral part of thecontainers of FIG- 1 and 4, supports the container a few inches oif thedoor so that loading equipment, such as a fork truck, can lift thecontainer from any side. The rigid construction of the containers makespossible the stacking of the led containers in a warehouse to conservespace.

The materials of construction used for fabrication of the containers ofthis invention will be dictated by the end use or" the con ainer. l orfabrication of containers for use in the handling of rubber bales,pressed Wood boards or Wood core-paper laminates are preferred whereinthe wood core is from about to about 4; inch in thickness and the paperis a heavy craft type paper. For materials or" less bulk density thanrubber, corrugated paperboard will usually be satisfactory.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIG- URE l, acontainer is illustrated comprising container sleeve 1 floating pallettray ll, 0 rner fillets l2, corner pallet posts 13 and center palletpost 14. The container sleeve 18 is scored vertically so as to have Vrouts or kerfs, indicated at 15, 1d, 1.7, 13 and 19 so that thecontainer sleeve will lie fiat f r shipment and can be readily formedinto the rectangular tube as illustrated with the V kerfs indicated atE5 in FIGURE 2 on the inside or" the container. The overlapping portions21 and 22 are secured by suitable means such as gluing, stapling,riveting, and the like. The pallet posts 13 are formed by rollin thelaminate or hardboard and cutting the roll into segments. These palletposts are secured to the fillets 12 by gluing, stapling and the like andthe fillets with the pallet posts attached are secured in the cornersor" the rectangular tube by gluing, stapling and the like. The fillets12 are molded or otherwise formed as curved strips of hardboard or woodcore laminate.

The bottom ends of the container sleeve sides between the fillets andpallet posts 13 are curved inwardly to provide vertical support forfloating pallet tray ii and to provide clearance for insertion of lif.ng equipment between the floating pallet tray ll when in its lowermostposition, and the door upon which the container rests. Openings 23 areprovided in the inwardly curved portions of the bottom edges of thecontainer sleeve lb to receive the locking tabs 25 of the floatingpallet ll. The floating pallet 111 has a center pallet post secured tothe bottom thereof for support and the outer edges of the pallet arecurved upward by molding or other operation to conform to the inwardlycurving sides of the container sleeve it A segment of each side of thefloating pallet tray 11 is curved downwardly as indicated at 25 so as topass through the openings 23 of the container sleeve so as to stabilizethe pallet tray in the bottom of the container.

FlGURE 2 shows a detail of the groove or lterf 15 of tne containersleeve 1i Grooves i5, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are identical.

3 A modified form of container is shown in FIGURE 3. The bottom tray 26is utilized instead of a pallet and is comprised of sides 23 and openbottom portion 27 where in the sides are held in place and reinforced bymetal strap 29. The bottom tray serves to protect the bottom of thecontainer and facilitates insertion of lifting equipment such as theforks of a fork truck between the container and floor on which thecontainer is resting.

The sides 31 and 32 of the container can be, and preferably are,constructed substantially identical so as to be lapped as indicated at33 and secured by gluing, stapling and the like to make a rectangularsleeve or tube with the bottom edge 34 formed by molding to conform tothe bottom tray 26; The floating pan 35 forms the bottom of thecontainer and its outside dimensions are just smaller than the insidedimensions of the container so as to be vertically movable within thecontainer sleeve.

Another modification of the container of this invention is shown inFIGURE 4 comprised of wood pallet tray 36 supported on blocks 37 havingsides 38 to provide structural strength to the bottom of the container,floating wood pallet 39, floating pan 4i) and container sleeve 41.

The container sleeve 41 is shown as composed of two identical sides 42and two identical sides 43 which are grooved as in the container ofFIGURE 1 to form the laps at the corners which are secured together bygluing, stapling and the like to form a continuous rectangular sleeve ortube. If desired, the container sleeve 41 can be made in one piece ortwo pieces in accordance with regular procedures in the paper boxindustry. Laps indicated at 44 and 45 on the bottom ends of the sidesections are folded inwardly upon assembly of the tube so as to rest onthe pallet tray 36 and the floating pallet 39 in turn rests upon theseflaps to secure the container sleeve in position. Floating pan 40 has asolid portion 40a with raised sides 46 and 47 and can be cut from onepiece of material such as double faced corrugated paperboard and formedinto a shape such as that indicated when the container is assembled. Thecorners need not be lapped as indicated but if lapped can be secured inposition if desired by gluing, stapling and the like. The floating panrests upon the floating pallet in the container and provides animpervious bottom portion for the container to furnish a continuoussupport for the contents and exclude contaminants.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the packagingdevice of this invention and comprises a frame composed of rigidvertical members 56, 51, 52 and 53. Horizontal support members 54, 55,56 and 57 provide rigidity to the fiame structure. Support members 54and 56 support endless chains 59 and 6% which travel on cog wheelsindicated at 61 and 62, respectively. Motor 63 is connected to pulley64, which in turn is connected to a cog wheel actuating endless chain59, so as to rotate the endless chain 59 counterclockwise around the cogwheel 61 when switch 65 is closed to connect motor 63 to power source66. The structure is enclosed on four sides by panels 67, 68, 69 anddoor 70. Side panels 63 and 69 are pivoted at '71 and 72, respectively,so that the opposite ends are free to move horizontally in the slot andbar elements indicated at 73 and 74, respectively.

Door 7% is raised into closed position and lowered to open position bymeans of hydraulic cylinder and piston 75 connected to power fluidreservoir 76 by means of two-position, four-port valve 77 actuatedthrough solenoid 78 by switches 7% and 89. Upon raising door 70 toclosed position, the wedges 81 on door 79 bear against the dogs, orcompanion wedges 82 on the side, panels 68 and 69 so as to force thesepanels inwardly. Rollers indicated at 83 on door 7% are free running andraised slightly above the surface of the door to facilitate moving aloaded carton over the surface of the door 79 when in down position.

Elevator piston 84, positioned incylinder 85, is actuated by compressedair or hydraulic fluid, or a combination of the two, from reservoir 76through two-position, three-way valve 86 by means of solenoid 87 byoperation of switches 88 and 559, respectively. in order that piston 84may properly support the contents of the container, a superstructurecomprising a rectangular metal plate 92, supporting channel irons 93 and94, is positioned on top of the piston.

The operator stands on platform 9%. Roller 91 facilia tates the passageof rubber bales from the supplying conveyor (not shown).

The operation of the packaging device will be explained with specificreference to the container shown in FIGURE 4. The operation is startedwith the elevator piston 84 in down position and the door 78 open. Thepallet tray 36 and the floating pallet 39 are placed in the device sothat the pallet tray rests upon the endless chains. The elevator pistonis then raised about four or five inches so as to raise the floatingpallet from the pahet tray and the assembled container sleeve is thenplaced in the packaging device with the bottom flaps 44 and 45 turnedinwardly so as to rest upon the pallet tray. The door 7il is closed byoperating switch '79 and the elevator piston 84 is raised to topposition. The floating pan 46 is then inserted from the top and placedfirmly on the floating pallet 39. The loading of the container is nowcommenced by rolling bales across roller Q1 and placing them in thefloating pan 4%. As each layer of bales is added to the container, theelevator piston 84, is lowered so that additional bales can be placed inthe container and this operation is repeated until the container isfilled.

At the conclusion of filling the container with bales of rubber, thedoor 7%) is lowered into down position, which can be inclineddownwardly, thus releasing the sides 68 and 69 after which the motor 63is started and the loaded container is rolled out onto and across door 7(l to a receiving means such as a conveyor belt or loading platform fromwhence it can be removed by a fork truck or other container handlingequipment.

The packaging apparatus enables the operator to fill a container withbulk materials such as bales of rubber without steeping or lifting andwithout dropping the bales into the container because the, conveyordelivers the bales to the top of the apparatus and the level of thebales in the container remains constant during the filling operation asa result of lowering the bottom of the container as the container isfilled.

Reasonable variations and modifications are possible within the scope ofthis disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

That which is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for flowing bulk material to a container having a bottomportion slidably positioned within said container comprising a framestructure composed of four vertical side panel members to confine saidcontainer on its four vertical sides, one of said panels being hinged atthe bottom so as to form a door which is substantially level with thebottom of the container when in open position; means to raise the bottomof said container to the top thereof and to lower said bottom member assaid container is being filled; means to lower said door to openposition when said container is filled; and means to remove said filledcontainer from said apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sides of the apparatus adjacentthe open door are movable outwardly to release said filled container.

3. Apparatus for filling a container having a vertically displaceablebottom portion comprising a substantially rectangular frame composed ofvertical and horizontal support members; an impermeable back panelrigidly secured to said support members; an impermeable front panelhinged at the bottom so as to be lowered to a position substantiallylevel with the bottom of said apparatus; a pair of side panels securedto said support members; a pair of endless tracks adjacent the sides ofsaid apparatus and substantially level with said front panel when in alowered position; means to operate said endless tracks; means to lowerand to raise said front panel; and means to raise the bottom portion ofa container placed in said apparatus to the top thereof and to lowersaid bottom portion to the bottom thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the side panels of said apparatusare pivoted at the back side thereof so as to allow the sides to swingoutwardly to release a filled container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSMitchell July 24, 1888 Von Echt Aug. 2, 1904 Scott June 5, 1906 RohdinAug. 26, 1952 Peterson Mar. 28, 1961.

1. APPARATUS FOR FLOWING BULK MATERIAL TO A CONTAINER HAVING A BOTTOMPORTION SLIDABLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A FRAMESTRUCTURE COMPOSED OF FOUR VERTICAL SIDE PANEL MEMBERS TO CONFINE SAIDCONTAINER ON ITS FOUR VERTICAL SIDES, ONE OF SAID PANELS BEING HINGED ATTHE BOTTOM SO AS TO FORM A DOOR WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY LEVEL WITH THEBOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER WHEN IN OPEN POSITION; MEANS TO RAISE THE BOTTOMOF SAID CONTAINER TO THE TOP THEREOF AND TO LOWER SAID BOTTOM MEMBER ASSAID CONTAINER IS BEING FILLED; MEANS TO LOWER SAID DOOR TO OPENPOSITION WHEN SAID CONTAINER IS FILLED; AND MEANS TO REMOVE SAID FILLEDCONTAINER FROM SAID APPARATUS.